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Please Note - Medical Advice
Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.
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Bone cancer in rabbits??
- Thread starter SOAD
- Start date
, I wondered if anyone else has ever had experience with it and if so did you try any alternative theropy's and what kind of results did you get NEOPLASIA (CANCER)
Cause: Other than the high incidence of uterine cancer in female rabbits over two years of age, neoplasia of other organs is less common in rabbits than in other species such as humans, ferrets and dogs. The most common cancer in rabbits (outside of the uterine cancer mentioned) is lymphoma. Lymphoma can develop anywhere in the body and at any age. This cancer has been found in the spinal column where it causes damage to the spinal cord and the surrounding bone. Malignant cancers, such as uterine adenocarcinoma, can spread and develop new sites in the bony spinal column. Bone cancer has been noted in the rear legs of rabbits which also leads to hind limb weakness.
Signs: The signs of cancer can be variable dependent on the tissues being affected and may come on gradually or may appear suddenly.
Diagnosis: A diagnosis of cancer is often suspected on an x-ray and then confirmed with a biopsy of the affected tissue. Cancer in the brain or spinal tissue itself is more difficult to detect. Cancer in the bone causes dramatic changes that are easy to spot.
Treatment: Chemotherapy can be attempted if it is appropriate for the particular cancer. Another option is radiation therapy if you have such facilities in your area (often they are found at a veterinary school). If the cancer is in an extremity, it may be possible to amputate the limb to save the rabbit. Corticosteroids can sometimes slow the growth of the cancer and can be used to prolong life for a while.
What's a Corticosteroid??
Happy Hopping
Wise Old Thumper
Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex. Corticosteroids are involved in a wide range of physiologic systems such as stress response, immune response and regulation of inflammation, carbohydrate metabolism, protein catabolism, blood electrolyte levels, and behavior.
* Glucocorticoids such as cortisol control carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism and are anti-inflammatory by preventing phospholipid release, decreasing eosinophil action and a number of other mechanisms.
* Mineralocorticoids such as aldosterone control electrolyte and water levels, mainly by promoting sodium retention in the kidney.
Some common natural hormones are corticosterone (C21H30O4), cortisone (C21H28O5, 17-hydroxy-11-dehydrocorticosterone) and aldosterone.
I didn't cut & paste the entire page: read Synthesis, Use and History from the above link
the link has a diagram with some hexagon on it. (P.S. I only got a C- in organic chemistry, so it's been a long while, I vaguely recall the hexagon is C)
